RELAX AND ENJOY LIFE!

Psalm 23:1-2  A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 

 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 

The transparency of these clouds leaves me wondering how many people out there would love to have this view.   You see while so many around this world run around like chickens with their heads cut off, I have learned the art of relaxing. Way too many of us rush from here to there, never stopping along the way.  We take our children to basketball practice, football practice, dance lessons, piano lessons, and so many other numerous things in our agenda that we don't know how to relax anymore.  Fast food restaurants are full of over scheduled children and stressed out parents.   No time to cook so stop at the local McDonalds for a quick burger and fries (yea that's healthy).  Of course we have to go through the drive thru because we're in a hurry and probably running late.   We live our lives so fast paced  here in America that it is ridiculous.  When someone talks about relaxing, our quick comeback is "Relax?  What's that?"  It has actually become a running joke.  The only way for some of us to relax is taking a week vacation that we end up scheduling all the typical tourist things and end up not relaxing on our vacation, right?  

We want more things so we work harder.  We want our children to be the best at their sports, top in academics and of course they have to go to a top notch school.  We stress out over all our bills from all the running, all the sports practices and all the meals out.  We are over scheduled from the moment we wake up in the morning until we finally collapse at 10 or 11 o'clock.  That is finally our time for relaxation.  Only one problem, we're so dead tired we fall asleep without even having a moment to enjoy just lying in bed.  7 - 8 hours later, we're awake and the chaos begins all over again.  Does this sound like you?  Have you over scheduled and over planned your life?  Have you crammed so much into your children's schedule that they are stressed out?  Do any of you out there know how to relax and enjoy life?   When was the last time you took 10 minutes and just laid down and stared into the sky?  When was the last time you relaxed in the arms of your loved ones?  When was the last time you took a few moments out of your day to thank God for the blessings in your life?

We miss so much with all this rushing and hurrying we do.  We are so stressed out that our health is pitiful.  High blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, heart attacks are just a few of the many medical issues caused by stress.  Stress is eating us alive!  If we don't learn to say no, if we don't learn slow down, if we don't learn to relax, we won't have to worry about social security because we will be dead!  Listen I know life is hard and difficult and down right scary at times, but Jesus is our shepherd.  We tend to forget that in the midst of all the stress.  He has us in the palm of His hands, if we let Him.  The thing is we are such control freaks that we fear if we let Jesus handle things, He may screw the things up that we have worked so hard for.   Really?  Be honest here!  I can read through those thoughts right now that are swirling around in that brain of yours.  "Jesus has more important things to do, I'm just helping Him out."  Are you serious?    "Listen I know what's best for me."  Listen, we are not fooling anyone, including ourselves, with this stupid attitude we have.  We want control.  The sad thing is that when we let Jesus have control, we may actually find we have time to relax.  Our lives may be a little, alright a lot less stressed and over scheduled.   We have missed the whole point about Jesus coming to this Earth,  He came to give us life and give it to us more abundantly. 

John 10:10  The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 

You see it's not Jesus who wants us over stressed and over scheduled.  Jesus wants us to relax and enjoy this life.  Jesus enjoyed this life and He was busy saving souls, what's more important than that?  Jesus would take time to go off by Himself to relax and pray to His Father in Heaven.  Jesus was asleep in a boat when a storm hit, He was relaxed.  You see Jesus knew something we tend to miss.  God created us!  God is the only one who knows what is best for us.  He already has our plan mapped out and it's for our good, but we have give Him the stirring wheel of our life and let Him chauffeur us around.  Trust me life is much less stressful this way.  Life is amazing and peaceful when we learn to relax and let Jesus lead us beside still waters.  We have green pastures to rest in, so do it!  Stop trying to do it all by yourself!  Relax in the love of Jesus Christ.  Give Him all your worries, all your stress and all of you.  And He will give you rest! 

Lord, lead me beside the still waters and help me to learn to relax in the green pastures of my life.  Today I give you my schedule and my time to do with as you please.  Help to learn to relax and enjoy this life you have given me, in Jesus name I pray, amen!